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Member Of Immortal Damnation

Finland Country of Origin: Finland

Member Of Immortal Damnation
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Type: Full-Length
Release Date: 1992
Label: Drowned Productions
Genre: Death
1. Broken Bones
2. Grandmother Of Death
3. Forest
4. Ancient Ride
5. Great Realm
6. Blooming Corpses
7. Streams
1. Taste Of Black
2. Dreams Shall Flesh
3. Act Of Rebellion
4. Shadowseeds
5. Mourningsoul
6. Helfire
7. Cult Of Blood
8. Roots Of Heldrasill
9. Blood Anthem
10. Among The Storms
1. Intro
2. Black Vision
3. Deep Blue Darkness
4. Lacus Somniorum
5. The Lost Memories
6. A Dark Cloud Arises
7. In The Misty Morning
8. Reality Isn't Disappeared
9. Misery Of The Rebirth
10. Crown Waits The Immortal
11. John 3:16 (Outro)


Review by Felix on November 16, 2019.

Necrophobic, the experts of painstakingly constructed black metal with an extra evil aura, released Bloodhymns in 2002. The band seemed to be in a very good condition. Equipped with an unholy rage, the four-piece forged an album that does not need a warm-up period. Instead, all churches go up in flames as soon as the first tones of the opener fill the room. Of course, not in reality. Let me remind you that Necrophobic originate from Sweden, not from Norway. Fine difference! But the houses of God start to burn in a figurative sense and the musicians, as much as I regret it, do not know where the extinguishers are. And even if they knew it - they would not use them.

Malicious riffs, flattening leads, sadistic vocals and high velocity drumming create very malevolent scenarios. Blood-soaked melodies justify the title of the album. Necrophobic prove one more time that they are able to establish a viable connection between the most furious parts which drag the listener down to hell and extremely dark harmonies that deliver a profound blackness. These two main components mutually influence each other in order to result in pretty perfect songs. Neither the rapid eruptions nor the majestic, more melodic sequences appear as a value in itself. Each part is aligned with further sections of the entire song and the smooth breaks and tempo changes never hurt the flow of the material. Even short acoustic breaks or screaming solo guitars submit themselves to the overarching goal, the creation of dense, perfectly flowing and monolithic compositions. Additionally, it goes without saying that the professionalism of Necrophobic does not allow a weak production. The voice and the guitars stand in the foreground without taking the rhythm section the air to breathe.

The first half of the album discards all scruples. Each and every band member has made a contribution to the song-writing and the manual know-how is out of question. Songs like the straight opener or the slightly more complex "Mourningsoul" want to engulf the listener in a maelstrom of vehemence and viciousness, while the majestic leads of "Shadowseeds" highlight other aspects. The unswerving double bass rolls out the red carpet for the accusing guitars and the lead vocals prefer a demonic approach instead of the usual mix of aggression and insanity. Unfortunately, Necrophobic are not able to keep the quality level of the first five, six songs. No need to panic, they do not make experiments. The interesting song formula remains the same, but the riffs are a tad less stunning. "Cult of Blood", for example, does not lack of anger and lustful destruction, nevertheless, it fails to stick in my mind. Good, but not outstanding - this describes the last tunes in a fitting manner. Anyway, passion and musicality are the main pillars of this full-length which always finds its way back from the shelf into the CD player. Listen to the hymns and enjoy.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

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Review by Felix on November 16, 2019.

Necrophobic, the experts of painstakingly constructed black metal with an extra evil aura, released Bloodhymns in 2002. The band seemed to be in a very good condition. Equipped with an unholy rage, the four-piece forged an album that does not need a warm-up period. Instead, all churches go up in flames as soon as the first tones of the opener fill the room. Of course, not in reality. Let me remind you that Necrophobic originate from Sweden, not from Norway. Fine difference! But the houses of God start to burn in a figurative sense and the musicians, as much as I regret it, do not know where the extinguishers are. And even if they knew it - they would not use them.

Malicious riffs, flattening leads, sadistic vocals and high velocity drumming create very malevolent scenarios. Blood-soaked melodies justify the title of the album. Necrophobic prove one more time that they are able to establish a viable connection between the most furious parts which drag the listener down to hell and extremely dark harmonies that deliver a profound blackness. These two main components mutually influence each other in order to result in pretty perfect songs. Neither the rapid eruptions nor the majestic, more melodic sequences appear as a value in itself. Each part is aligned with further sections of the entire song and the smooth breaks and tempo changes never hurt the flow of the material. Even short acoustic breaks or screaming solo guitars submit themselves to the overarching goal, the creation of dense, perfectly flowing and monolithic compositions. Additionally, it goes without saying that the professionalism of Necrophobic does not allow a weak production. The voice and the guitars stand in the foreground without taking the rhythm section the air to breathe.

The first half of the album discards all scruples. Each and every band member has made a contribution to the song-writing and the manual know-how is out of question. Songs like the straight opener or the slightly more complex "Mourningsoul" want to engulf the listener in a maelstrom of vehemence and viciousness, while the majestic leads of "Shadowseeds" highlight other aspects. The unswerving double bass rolls out the red carpet for the accusing guitars and the lead vocals prefer a demonic approach instead of the usual mix of aggression and insanity. Unfortunately, Necrophobic are not able to keep the quality level of the first five, six songs. No need to panic, they do not make experiments. The interesting song formula remains the same, but the riffs are a tad less stunning. "Cult of Blood", for example, does not lack of anger and lustful destruction, nevertheless, it fails to stick in my mind. Good, but not outstanding - this describes the last tunes in a fitting manner. Anyway, passion and musicality are the main pillars of this full-length which always finds its way back from the shelf into the CD player. Listen to the hymns and enjoy.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

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Review by Denis on December 26, 2002.

Today, just like every other weekday I was on my way to work and since I hadn't take my usual caffeine dose, I was essentially the walking dead. I went into the building, took the wrong door and felt down... down into a giant spider web. Without any delay, this ugly looking arachnid monster went to greet me with a sadistic smile. Pointing toward the broken window, I was forced to look at the sun, admiring the beautiful effect of rays passing through the web. Then all of a sudden, with its powerful mandible, it cut clear my left arm. In great pain and fear, blinded by my own stream of blood, I turned to beat the beast but too late since off came my right arm. The creature seemed to take pleasure in my pain, if it had a visible mouth I am sure I would have been able to see it smirk. In an eerie screech the spider doubled in size as it reared up on its hind legs and then in one foul swipe of its front legs... my legs were no more. Blood oozed from my gaping wounds, causing me to nearly pass out in shock. Welcome to the world of "Bloodhyms".

What's the matter with me? I just got inspired by this new album from Necrophobic. After a successful line of releases with Black Mark but being unhappy with them, they signed with Hammerheart Records and it turned out a pretty satisfying deal, since soon after they started to write material for their first offering with the new label.

"Bloodhyms" is for sure a pretty scary and heavy opus! Top-notch extreme black/death metal with excellent musicians that bring everything to the limit and everybody in hell! Are fast, metered, melodic, aggressive, with lots of guitar riffs and ferocious vocals all how you like your metal? Well, you can't find a better band than Necrophobic to satisfy your demanding taste. These Swedish are masters of their art and their professionalism bleeds throughout the vampiric compositions available here. Even if you're not a fanatic of extreme metal, you can only appreciate and discover what made this band so popular. I specially enjoyed the last two numbers and the extreme metalists would simply go nuts on pieces like: 'Dreams Shall Flesh', 'Act of Rebellion', 'Cult of Blood'.

Bottom Line: Please note that "Bloodhyms" is intended to be played loud. Do you hear what I'm saying? No! Good! You got the point.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8.5
Originality: 8
Production: 8
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

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Review by Denis on December 26, 2002.

Today, just like every other weekday I was on my way to work and since I hadn't take my usual caffeine dose, I was essentially the walking dead. I went into the building, took the wrong door and felt down... down into a giant spider web. Without any delay, this ugly looking arachnid monster went to greet me with a sadistic smile. Pointing toward the broken window, I was forced to look at the sun, admiring the beautiful effect of rays passing through the web. Then all of a sudden, with its powerful mandible, it cut clear my left arm. In great pain and fear, blinded by my own stream of blood, I turned to beat the beast but too late since off came my right arm. The creature seemed to take pleasure in my pain, if it had a visible mouth I am sure I would have been able to see it smirk. In an eerie screech the spider doubled in size as it reared up on its hind legs and then in one foul swipe of its front legs... my legs were no more. Blood oozed from my gaping wounds, causing me to nearly pass out in shock. Welcome to the world of "Bloodhyms".

What's the matter with me? I just got inspired by this new album from Necrophobic. After a successful line of releases with Black Mark but being unhappy with them, they signed with Hammerheart Records and it turned out a pretty satisfying deal, since soon after they started to write material for their first offering with the new label.

"Bloodhyms" is for sure a pretty scary and heavy opus! Top-notch extreme black/death metal with excellent musicians that bring everything to the limit and everybody in hell! Are fast, metered, melodic, aggressive, with lots of guitar riffs and ferocious vocals all how you like your metal? Well, you can't find a better band than Necrophobic to satisfy your demanding taste. These Swedish are masters of their art and their professionalism bleeds throughout the vampiric compositions available here. Even if you're not a fanatic of extreme metal, you can only appreciate and discover what made this band so popular. I specially enjoyed the last two numbers and the extreme metalists would simply go nuts on pieces like: 'Dreams Shall Flesh', 'Act of Rebellion', 'Cult of Blood'.

Bottom Line: Please note that "Bloodhyms" is intended to be played loud. Do you hear what I'm saying? No! Good! You got the point.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8.5
Originality: 8
Production: 8
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

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Review by Rosh on March 30, 2022.

I'm not exactly sure how many times I have, in some fashion, made nods to Finnish death metal in my reviews so far, but I'm aware that I do it pretty often. The Finnish scene's early output is fascinating for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest one might be that it comes off as a "culmination" of the cutting-edge extremity heard at the end of the 80's. A lot of the country's most influential efforts could only have come from Finland, but previous entries in the death metal and grindcore genres from the American and especially the British bands were definitely the direct inspiration for this monumentally bizarre style. Abhorrence from Helsinki were one of the first to bring death metal to the far reaches of Scandinavia, but Nokia's Purtenance (Avulsion) were pretty damn early to the show as well. The demo material of both bands are, for all intents and purposes, relevant listening for anyone interested in early deathgrind, but the Nokia band was not quite as deadly as Abhorrence was with "Vulgar Necrolatry". In 1991, however, Purtenance realized their potential on the Crown Waits The Immortal EP, which is definitely their best release despite being very brief. Two essential, scene-shaping death metal songs is all you need to make an ultimate statement, and it does in fact pair nicely with Abhorrence's self-titled EP from earlier that year.

Member Of Immortal Damnation is Purtenance's debut full-length album, released the following year, and it's a step down from the EP due to its relative inconsistency. It's a logical enough step forward, a satisfying enough full-length release for anyone who's heard Purtenance's catalog up to this point, but it's strangely back-loaded and doesn't really get going until after the second instrumental like you'd want a death metal full-length to. The album intro is very dream-like and conjures up the cryptic side of the imagination just as much as the cover art, but the entire first half of 'Black Vision' just continues the tone of the intro which really delays any momentum here. This section is similar sounding to a lot of what the Swedish band Gorement would later do on The Ending Quest, which would normally be awesome, but placed here on the album, it's just very ineffective and dull. The second half of this song as well as the banger of a track 'Deep Blue Darkness' re-introduces the more devastating Purtenance we knew and enjoyed from the EP, but it's not really a successful buildup despite this 6-and-a-half minute stretch being very enjoyable itself. Given the intro, 'Black Vision' had no reason to surpass the 3-minute mark, and worse yet, there's a pointless acoustic track that would've contributed more to an NWOBHM album than something like this. It's very out of place here, and unlike Funebre's comparable interlude, "Spirits Bewail", it doesn't set any atmosphere.

Side A is not entirely a bust, however. In addition to the second half of 'Black Vision' and all of 'Deep Blue Darkness' making their appreciated contribution, 'The Lost Memories' is a very likable, mid-to-slow tempo, but still riff-driven cut, one that is a bit similarly paced to songs like "Profane Creation" by Bolt Thrower. We then get a decent re-recording of 'A Dark Cloud Arises' from the EP and at the very end of the album, 'Crown Waits The Immortal', neither of which sound as hard-hitting and outstandingly raw as their 1991 counterparts. This isn't all that disappointing, however, considering they're still competent renditions of two fantastic songs and are at any rate the best material featured on Member Of Immortal Damnation. 'A Dark Cloud Arises' succeeds at switching to dirgey death metal midway through, which is hard to pull off and it's something that makes this a classic Finndeath song, as does the memorable, grindcore-leaning attack of the other re-recorded track. "Cowboys From Hell" riffs, however, like the one heard at the beginning of 'In The Misty Morning', do not contribute to quality Finndeath - the inclusion of a groove metal motif in this otherwise great song is extremely perplexing and even hilarious.

Another one of Purtenance's best songs is 'Reality Isn't Disappeared'. I think I initially listened to this song more because of the grammatical error in the title, but it is truly an empathetic, moving death metal piece, proving that this band is more than capable of building up to emotional release, and this leads me to my concluding thoughts on this band: they're a class act and I really like them. In no way were they inherently weaker songwriters or musicians than their contemporaries; they just hadn't found themselves quite as much as slightly more well-recognized Finnish pioneers, and that actually makes this release resonate with me a fair bit despite its songwriting shortcomings. Moreover, the sound itself is actually really enjoyable; most of the riffs find their mark due to the excessively dirty yet still naturally overdriven guitar sound, the deep growls are soaked in some reverb but don't rely too heavily on it, and the pummeling percussion is this band's greatest strength, actually outdoing anyone else in Finnish death metal for my money.

Purtenance's Member Of Immortal Damnation is a key example of a flawed classic, but a classic nonetheless, one that really appeals to me. 20 years later, the band did reform with some original members still in the fold and has been prolific since then, offering a lot of sincere and faithful Finndeath with slight updates. Their older work definitely stands on its own, however, and as far as full-length albums go, their debut is in my second tier of death metal favorites, which is actually still really high up there. It might climb its way up there for you too, if you'd like to dig deeper into the Finnish scene and want something that, in many ways, epitomizes the distinct style.

Rating: 9.2 out of 10

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